WIFM (What's in it for me) is an exclusive, quarterly, bilingual lifestyle magazine offering readers a balanced coverage of business, lifestyle and key happenings in Tokyo along with our own recommendations to explore new opportunities in this great city.

Roppongi’s ‘Community Within a Community’
Luxury Resident Lifestyle—Everything Under One Roof

No guidebook to Tokyo is complete without mentioning Roppongi, the city’s most happening area where dozens of bars, clubs and live houses—from somewhat dodgy to very upscale—line the neon-lit streets. The area is so well known that it rarely fails to find a place on a tourist’s itinerary, and it throngs with people seeking a great night out. No wonder Roppongi is dubbed “the place that never sleeps.”
Well, at least that’s the image of the area that a lot of people can relate to. But few know that the area has a totally different aspect far from the stereotypical Roppongi—“a community within a community.”

You could be forgiven for wondering how Roppongi can play such a roll, but if you look at it from a different perspective—that of a resident of the Roppongi Hills Residences (RHR)—you can see why. WIFM magazine was invited to experience that aspect to the fullest.

The RHR is a set of four residential buildings, named A, B, C and D (D is serviced apartments), inside the Roppongi Hills complex. But the RHR is like no other. What particularly sets it apart from other luxury residences and serviced apartments that are often little more than an extension of a luxury hotel is the strong sense of community among its residents, despite being situated at the heart of the ever-sprawling metropolis.

Farmers’ Market
One good example of this is the farmers’ market that takes place every Saturday. Located in open space between high-street brand shops on Keyakizaka Street, a main street that cuts through Roppongi Hills, it features farmers from Ibaraki Prefecture who set up makeshift stalls to sell a variety of fresh vegetables from 7 a.m. (very early by Roppongi standards). You will find the vegetables may not be as perfectly shaped as those in a certain supermarket nearby that caters to wealthy shoppers, but they could not be fresher as most have been harvested that very morning!

The market hums with excitement and enthusiasm as farmers mingle with customers as if they were old friends. One farmer says they are all volunteers and it seems they are not there for making money. In fact, they sell leftovers with discounted prices as the market closing time of 9 a.m. nears because they don’t want to take their goods home. It’s surprising to witness this in this part of the city as it seems more suited to rural towns with graying populations where neighbors are close to each other. Be it customers or farmers, I observed that they all seem to enjoy this particular time of the week, with one resident of RHR, for example, happily helping another customer pack her shopping bag at the cashier.

Cross-cultural Lectures, Workshops and Fashion Shows
As it is held at Roppongi Hills, the farmers’ market is open to the public. However, MORI LIVING offers a number of exclusive services to residents only such as breakfast at Hills Spa (price included in the rent for serviced apartments only) and private film screenings at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills, among other features.
Also on offer exclusively for MORI LIVING residents are a series of cross-cultural events and workshops.

Included are lectures on themes such as bonsai plants, wadaiko drums, sushi preparation, and Japanese poetry, as well as a tour of the famous Tsukiji fish market. Some events have a seasonal theme, such as a hanabi expert invited in June to talk about Japanese traditional fireworks. The front desk of each residence can accept applications from residents to attend these events. However, a concierge told me that events and workshops are very popular so tickets go quickly.

If you’re looking for something more glamorous, then you will have a chance to attend occasional invitation-only receptions and fashion shows by luxury brands that are housed in Roppongi Hills and Omotesando Hills. Also, if you’re an avid shopper, then there are invitation-only secret sales for MORI LIVING residents.

24/7 Bilingual In-House Health Clinic & Four Hills Spas
If you are new to Tokyo, one of the first things you want to be sure about is who to contact and what to do in an emergency such as when you or your family member falls sick. The RHR has this area well covered by having a medical clinic on its premises with doctors on duty in the daytime and nurses available 24/7. The clinic provides bilingual medical services and can treat you if your condition is not too serious.

If you are seriously ill or need to seek specialist medical attention, RHR has a special arrangement with nearby Jikei Hospital, where treatment can be carried out. It’s indeed a great relief to have medical experts on call 24/7 as well as the bilingual front desk staff, especially if you live with a baby or a small child. One nurse told me that if a patient is too sick to come down to the clinic, they could go to their room to treat the patient.

Having read this article up to this point, you might have forgotten it is also about serviced apartments. Farmers’ markets, cross-cultural events and medical clinics are
largely unheard of in the context of serviced apartments, but that’s the very reason why MORI LIVING is different (residents can also use a spa and a swimming pool in any of Mori’s three other residences at Atago Green Hills, Motoazabu Hills, and ARK Hills).

The SKY LOUNGE on top RHR B can be reserved for private parties by the serviced apartment residents of RHR D.

Of course, RHR also boasts everything you will find in most serviced apartments such as a gym, swimming pool and various concierge services. But what is important is that RHR offers more than just good service as Mori Building, the developer of Roppongi Hills, Atago Green Hills and ARK Hills among many others, strives to prove.

Terming it “MORI LIVING,” the developer continues to propose a new and better way of urban living. It strives to create an ideal community where its residents have everything they need within close proximity—work, shops, entertainment, green spaces and medical care, as well as roof gardens where residents can hold BBQ parties with friends in the summer. MORI LIVING is, in short, an environment where residents can enjoy all of the Hills as their home. With so much stimulus from living in an international environment that offers so much in arts, entertainment, trends and culture, MORI LIVING is indeed “Living with Unlimited Possibilities.”

The Humanist type serviced apartment. One of three types designed by Conran and Partners, the other two are Spiritualist and Hedonist.

Having experienced a slice of life at the RHR, one may notice that its concept has a lot in common with the legendary architect Le Corbusier’s Unite d’habitation in Marseille, France. This building is the legendary architect’s vision for communal living with shops, post offices, gyms, swimming pools and recreation grounds as well as nurseries—all under one roof. Le Corbusier proposed with this building what modern life should be like. MORI LIVING seems to follow in the footsteps of Le Corbusier, but of course it’s much more contemporary with cinemas and art museums also accessible to its residents. But would it go too far to say the MORI LIVING is the 21st century version of Le Corbusier’s Unite d’habitation?

Well, that may be open to discussion, but one resident from the United States sums up her life at the RHR pretty well. She says, “I’m not saying Tokyo is the best place in the world, but RHR is certainly the best residence.” ❖